The Reticule recently posted a new article on the rise of Mac and Linux gaming. The article included discussion of the release of Steam for Mac, as well as the importance of independent developers in keeping Mac and Linux gaming alive. Developers such as Spiderweb's Jeff Vogel and Wolfire's John Graham offered their comments about the benefits of supporting multiple platforms.

John Graham from Wolfire Software thinks there is little reason not to explore Mac support where possible, he cites a key blog post from Wolfire founder David Rosen which explains why using OpenGL rather than DirectX can make developing for Windows, Mac and Linux a much simpler task. Chris highlights the multiplatform support found in the Unity and Unreal 3 engine as being key to being able to develop cross-platform. “With something like Unity, or Torque, or the Unreal 3 engine, or various other ones, multiplatform support is easy” Chris goes on to say “For developers who are a bit further along, working on a game beyond their first, it’s pretty much a no-brainer to make extending to multiple platforms one of the major goals of the second game. If you’re on the PC, the first target would be the Mac, and vice-versa.”

John feels that providing support for Mac, and indeed Linux, is essential for indie developers and it can reap huge rewards. “We highly recommend that other indie developers support Mac and Linux. If you use OpenGL, it’s not very hard and it is likely to double your sales.”